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Sunday, September 27, 2009

Design Gives Back - Pet Parade Blog Party


Welcome, I am so glad that you stopped by. Please join me and Bentley for a very special Pet Parade Blog party celebrating everyone who supported and/or participated in the project to raise a $2,000. donation to the Foreclosure Pets Fund project. The goal was to have 150 scarves decorated and to send in a photo of each pet wearing their decorated scarf.




Bentley wearing his scarf.



The project was a big success and now Kelee and Oliver of the Katillac Shack are celebrating with a video celebrating the event. The world premier video will show the presentation to the shelter organization and will feature the pets who participated.


All of God's Creatures - Great and Small will be featured in the video at the Pet Parade Party.

Bentley is waiting to take you to the party!



Bentley, my studio assistant, participated and would love for you to attend the Blog Party to see all of his blog pet friends and to celebrate. His good friend, Miss Maggie, of Dear Daisy Cottage participated http://deardaisycottage.typepad.com/. Bentley supported his blog friend Oliver (who has a crush on Maggie) by painting daises on his scarf in hopes of impressing the fair Miss Maggie with his support of his friend.





Maggie of Dear Daisy Cottage

Lots of pet owners and bloggers participated in this worthwhile project. I made you a cup of tea and baked pumpkin bread to celebrate the party. Pour yourself a cup of tea , have a piece of pumpkin bread, relax and let's take a look at just a few of these dear and precious pets - many were adopted and/or rescued (including Bentley) who will be featured in the video.






Looks like someone discovered the pumpkin bread !





HMM . . . . "After all, the party is a Pet Parade and it seems only fitting that I get to have a piece of pumpkin bread!" Yummy . . .Well - let's see some of the other pets are up to.

"Sugars" was adopted by my niece , Jill. She is a Miniature Doxon and has no tear ducts in one eye. . She needs to have drops every day and was given a loving home 11 years ago. Her beautiful scarf was decorated by Jill's daughter, 6 year old Hannah Love (who is the real artist in our family).

Sugars loves to eat the cat food as well as her dog food (which has not been too good for her waist line).



Hershey is a shy adopted neighbor of Sugars and his lovely scarf was also decorated by Hannah Love.

Maggie's handsome brother!






Lovely in lace!




Bridesmaid !




Glamor Girl!




Cutie pie!


A small sample of the adorable pets you will see at the Pet Parade Party.


Don't go away - the party/movie starts
September 30, 2009

DIY & THRIFTY TIP : Oliver Wendell's sweater can be adapted from a man's thrift store sweater. I have made several this way: Simply cut the bound edges of the sleeves and reposition them for the armholes and use bound seams for "butt-straps"(which he finds humiliating) that hold it in place. He is a little man in a dog-suit anyway! What does your pet wear for style? Show us at the party!

Thank you for visiting. I love hearing from you and sincerely appreciate that you have taken time to leave me a comment or follow my blog. If you have any questions or would like to see me paint something special, please leave me a comment or send me an e-mail.


Have a lovely week and enjoy the party. Blessings, Erin

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Fall Planting and Scarecrows




Welcome. I am so glad that you stopped by. Are you as ready for fall as I am? My summer garden is beginning to fade and I am anxious to plant fall colors and get out my scarecrows. I found a great buy on mums at Target - just $1.25 per pot in lovely Autumn colors. Take a little break and let's look around for inspiration for a fall Welcome garden sign we can paint together.



Looks like Bentley, my studio assistant, has already started looking for inspiration. I love to plant seasonal flowers in pots for an "instant" change from Summer to Fall.

Finding Inspiration . . . . .




Here . . . .
There . . . .
Everywhere . . . .
I bought these adorable scarecrows at CVS Pharmacy (formerly RiteAid). They were $10.00 marked down to 50% off. At $5.00 each even a thrifty shopper like me could splurge.

Looks like Bentley found our inspiration!

Let's get started. I paint my outdoor signs on canvas, however, they can be painted on anything - old barn wood - wood placks can be purchased from Michael's and are great to paint on.


First I sketched a scarecrow on canvas. I thought it would be fun to add black crows for a touch of fall. You are welcome to copy my drawing. First sketch the word WELCOME - that way you will know how much room you have for your drawing. I like to use an 8X10 canvas - you can paint your sign any size.




I decided to paint a blue sky and put my scarecrows in a pumpkin patch with sunflowers growing around him. Since I have blue accents in my little garden, I wanted the sign to pick up the blues.

Next paint straw hair and hands and add sunflowers or whatever you want to surround your scarecrow. I painted black crows since they are easy birds for beginners. Your painting will last longer outside if you use a few coats of satin varnish on your finished painting (make sure your use a type that does not yellow).



Here is the completed sign hanging on a little picket fence just waiting to WELCOME guests.



I am so glad that you stopped by my bog. Your comments mean so much to me and I sincerely apprecite that you have taken time to visit , leave me a comment and to follow my blog. If you have any questions or would like to see my paint something special, please leave me a comment or send me an e-mail.
Have a lovely week. Blessings, Erin

Monday, September 7, 2009

Inspiration for Repurposed Decorating/Art



Welcome. I am so glad that you stopped by. Pour yourself a cup of tea - curl up and get comfortable and join me for a little tour looking for the inspiration for a "re- purposed" painting and furniture in my guest room. I love re- purpose decorating using "what I do have rather than what I do not have". I want the room to be calm and relaxing and since I live near the ocean - I want it to feel like an old Nantucket Beach Cottage bedroom with soft, well loved linens and furniture. Let's take a look around at some things "I do have".

Finding inspiration . . . .


The large painting was created to use as the centerpiece of a one woman art show I was invited to participate in to raise money to help find a cure for breast cancer. The show was called "April in Paris" and in honor of the theme I painted the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Here . . . .




White wicker




I went through my cupboards and found the blue and white stripe and blue denim shams and old white quilt with faded red flowers (just what I am looking for to create the old Nantucket feeling). The patchwork quilt pillows are from JC Penny and are part of their new American Living collection. I picked them up for 50% off and since I bought them on a sale day they were marked down another 20 % . The patch work has a tiny blue and white stripe, red floral and a little black and remind me of a cottage.

There . . . . .



Everywhere . . . .



I already had the black throw rugs with red and blue flowers - the blue and white toile chairs are extra dining room chairs that I store in the guest room. The touch of black in the patchwork pillows will tie in nicely with the black rugs that will anchor all of the light colors.

The room has a little bay window which is perfect for a reading/seating nook. The wicker chair and table were found at a tag sale and the painting is one I recently painted to go in the little seating area. This is a wonderful sunny spot to sit and read.





Now that we found the Nantucket colors for my re- purposed guest room, let's take a look around to see what else we can find



I used an old wash stand for one of the bedside tables. A stack of books covers the whole for the wash basin and makes a perfect beside table suitable for a lamp.


A sweet little wicker sewing table purchased at a flea market makes a perfect beside table for another lamp.


Books stacked up on the beside table just waiting for guests to enjoy.


Now that the linens and furniture are in place it is time to re- purpose the painting .First I painted out the trees and Eiffel Tower. Next I sketched in the white wicker chair and added porch railings. The blue and white stripe pillow shams and toile chairs are the inspirations for the stripe pillows on the wicker chair. I will paint the throw cushion blue and white to match the blue and white toile chairs. Next, let's find a pop of color in the garden to add to the painting.

Finding Inspiration for the painting in my garden -looks like Bentley is ready to help.






The white Iceberg roses and bouquet of sunflowers and red roses will replace the bouquet of red roses on the table in the painting.




Sunflowers will add a punch of color to the painting.





Looks like Bentley is enjoying smelling the just picked Iceberg Roses. Sometimes he be can a little too helpful - especially when he starts eating the rose petals.









The finished "re-purposed painting" with blue and white stripe wicker chair, white roses, bouquet of red roses and sunflowers, porch, blue sky, and blue ocean.






Now let's hang it to see how it looks with the furniture and linens.









Note the "re purposed" beside tables and blue and white plates hung on the wall.











That concludes the tour of my guest room that was decorated "using what I do have and not what I do not have".


Thank you for stopping by. I love hearing from you and sincerely appreciate that you took time to leave me a comment and to follow my blog. If you have any questions or want to see me paint something special, please leave me a comment or send me an e-mail.

Have a lovely week.

Blessings, Erin